Japan's research whaling in Antarctic could vanish

Feb. 20, 2011 12:00 AMYomiuri Shimbun

TOKYO - With this season's research whaling in the Antarctic Ocean called off due to harassment by the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, Japan's whaling activities in the area may not see another year.

In addition to Sea Shepherd's acts of sabotage, low domestic demand for whale meat - which used to be a valuable source of protein during the food-scarce postwar years - also has made the prospect of continuing whaling extremely gloomy, officials said.

"There's no way we can outrun the Sea Shepherd boats!"

So officials of the Fisheries Agency's Far Seas Fisheries Division quoted a phone call from the Nisshin Maru in the Antarctic Ocean on Feb. 11. The 8,030-ton Nisshin Maru is the mother ship of the research-whaling fleet.

Asked at a news conference Friday about the possibility of the country ending research whaling entirely, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Michihiko Kano replied: "We can't say anything definite about that."

According to ministry officials, however, discussions have already begun behind the scenes about ending Japan's Antarctic whaling.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, one high-ranking ministry official said five alternative scenarios have so far been studied:

 Have the whaling fleet escorted by Japan Coast Guard vessels or others.